Frogmore Stew or Low Country Boil

As you know, I’m a Southern girl, born & bred and though I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve never lived outside of the South.  Here’s a brief history of Frogmore Stew, aka Beaufort Stew (pronounced Bu-fort) or Lowcountry Boil.  It’s been a part of family & friends tradition for my entire life and it just seems to be the perfect thing for a Memorial Weekend get-together!

OK, relax a bit… really there are NO frogs in Frogmore Stew!  Come casual because this dish is usually served on a newspaper covered picnic table and eaten with your hands (rest assured that plenty of hand wipes and paper towels will be available!).   Frogmore stew is a down  home, stick to your ribs, event that brings friends & family together.  You can make it for 4 or 400!

It actually originates from a small fishing community near Beaufort, SC named Frogmore and though the town no longer exists, the stew carries on the great tradition started there!
Legend has it a shrimper in Frogmore was running low on food and couldn’t decide what to cook for dinner. He chose to boil up some potatoes, sausage, and corn together and added some shrimp since there was never a short supply of shrimp around his home. He soon realized how great the items complemented each other and the recipe was passed around to some local seafood restaurants. From then on Frogmore Stew has become a family tradition in many homes on the Carolina coast and it can be found at many restaurants along the coast as well.

Here's our family's recipe:

You will need a large steamer pot or stock pot.  I like the steamer pot because it's easier to drain.
 

New potatoes (4 per person)

Kielbasa sausage (1/4 lb per person)

Corn on cob (1-2 half ears per person)

Unpeeled, uncooked, headless shrimp (1/3 lb per person)

Shrimp or seafood seasoning (Old Bay or such) (I use this liberally!)

Boil potatoes (in plenty of water to cover) 20 minutes.  I generally add one bottle of beer to the water, but that's truly optional.  Add Old Bay seasoning to taste.  Cut sausage in 3-inch sections; add to potatoes and cook 10 more minutes.  Add corn and cook 7 minutes, then add shrimp.  Boil 3 more minutes (until shrimp turns pink) and drain well.

Drain and "dump" into large serving bowl.  Serve with cocktail sauce, butter, tabasco, etc.  Great served with crusty bread and sweet southern cole slaw.